An Irish government minister has expressed serious misgivings about pending abortion legislation, and said that she would vote her conscience rather than party directives.

Lucinda Creighton, the minister for European affairs, said that she did not understand why the bill that would allow for legal abortion allowed for legal representation for the unborn child. She added that was defective because, among other things, it did not provide a clear definition of when an unborn child would be considered viable outside the womb, and abortion would therefore be illegal. “My personal view is that all I can do when making a decision on life and death is vote on my conscience,” said Creighton. She joined a small but growing list of Irish lawmakers who have said that they will not recognize party discipline on the crucial vote.

In a related development, Cardinal Sean Brady of Ireland charged that the proposed legislation “will provide the widest possible legal justification for deliberately and intentionally destroying the life of the unborn child.”

“In practice, the right to life of the unborn child will no longer be treated as equal,” the cardinal said. “The wording of this bill is so vague that ever wider access to abortion can be easily facilitated…This bill represents a legislative and political ‘Trojan Horse’ which heralds a much more liberal and aggressive abortion regime in Ireland.”

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